“You can’t hide at this stage of the season. At this point, you have to be able to play through everything because if you’re trying to hide a guy or a guy is not performing for you, it’s going to show offensively in the playoffs and it’s going to be magnified … We all know Carlos did not play at the level the team needed him to and that that hurt them more than anything because they couldn’t rely on him.

“The flagrant foul, the pushing calls, the inability to finish strong around the basket. Now you’re a liability. We can’t hide you and now we have to take you out of the game.”

The flagrant foul in question was a swipe to LeBron James’ face late in the third quarter of Game 5. The Bulls had been up 11 but the Heat quickly cut it to 5. Of course, the Bulls got that back up to double digits late in the fourth quarter before falling apart. Pippen also took swipes at Joakim Noah for not stepping up in the playoffs. Notice that both of those guys were on the bench when Chicago needed a game-tying shot late in Game 5.

Pippen is right, Carlos Boozer did not step up with bigger and better games in the playoffs. Jazz fans would have told you to expect that. But Boozer also is not guy who can create his own shots, he needs to be paired with guys like that. The Bulls have one of the best in Derrick Rose but until they get a second guy who can create on the perimeter the Bulls will be vulnerable in the playoffs.

After going 0-for-5 from the floor with a turnover when guarded by LeBron James in Game 4, Derrick Rose struggled against him once again Thursday, going 1-for-10 with two turnovers in Game 5. Rose shot 6.3 percent from the floor in the series when defended by James, lowest among any player that defended him on five or more plays.

Meanwhile at the other end of the floor the Bulls played good defense even though the Heat scored on eight straight possessions late. Think about the shots — Dwyane Wade hitting a contested three (with the foul by Rose), LeBron with a three to tie and another jump shot later.

What was the book on Miami? Make them shoot jump shots, just don’t let LeBron and Wade get to the rim. In the final four minutes Miami had one made shot at the rim, everything else was outside. When they hit the jumpers, there is nothing a defense can do, no matter how good.

The difference was the Bulls needed to score, but Rose could not shake free of LeBron. And the Bulls do not have a second option of a guy who can create his own shot. In essence, what LeBron did to Ruse shut down the entire Bulls offense.

Rose was the MVP because of how he carried that offense all season. But at the biggest moments, the better player shut him down.

None the less we bring you this, one of the better Bulls highlights from Game 5. It’s when Luol Deng stole the pass then out ran LeBrom James down and made sure there would be no chase-down block by dunking emphatically on him.

It was one of those plays that had you convinced it was the Bulls night, part of the mirage. But a great play even still.

In one key way, the Eastern Conference Finals have been a lot like the Western Conference Finals — it has been about the fourth quarter.

Miami has turned up the defensive pressure late and the Bulls have wilted in the final stanza. In the fourth quarter of the last three games the Bulls have shot 32.7 percent and been outscored 64-47. The fourth quarter is when LeBron James has switched on to Derrick Rose and the result is Rose shooting 2-of-11 in the last three fourth quarters combined.

Desperate and down 3-1 and heading back home for an elimination game, look for the Bulls to have a better fourth quarter, to finally close out a game well. They had better, or this series is over.

Back at home, look for the Bulls role players to feel more comfortable and play better. For one, expect Taj Gibson has to give the Bulls more, both on defense and in transition. Also Kyle Korver has to hit a shot — the Bulls still need to knock down some threes and long twos to make the Heat pay for packing the paint on them.

Expect to see the same out of the Heat bench we saw last game — Erik Spoelstra has gone to a tight eight-man rotation with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller being the only guys seeing big minutes off the bench. Both have played well but can that continue under pressure on the road? Probably, especially with Haslem, who has been what the Heat needed inside. The Bulls need to force Miami deeper into that bench by getting some guys in foul trouble, either by the penetration of Rose or some other guys stepping up.

One interesting matchup to watch is Joakim Noah over on Chris Bosh — something the Bulls made a priority of in Game 4 (and should have worked harder to do in earlier games rather than letting him get switched off so easily). Bosh has been the best Heat player in a couple games, doing a great job of mixing midrange shots with drives, and if he is again the Bulls will not be headed back to Miami.

At some point soon, Dwyane Wade is going to go off. He has not looked himself this series and was doing a lot of extra shooting and work Wednesday. If Game 5 is when he does go off there will be no Game 6.

On the flip side, who is going to take the pressure off Rose? Carlos Boozer you say? Well, they need him. But they need someone to create their own shot and be a better outside shooter in this series. Miami has been able to pack the paint and wall off Rose because they do not fear the outside shot of the Bulls. That is particularly true in the fourth quarter.

The Heat are the better team and they have closed games better. But this is still a close series — Rose drains that fadeaway over LeBron and this series is even. That’s not how it went down, but these two teams are close. Close enough that the Bulls have hope — win Game 5 at home, steal one on the road and suddenly it’s one game for all the marbles.

But to get there, the Bulls need to be desperate. They need to knock down shots. And they need to close out the fourth quarter better. Because you know the Heat will.

Mike Miller is going to be a big key for the Miami Heat come the NBA finals. Even in trying to close out the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 Thursday night.

But it’s not going to be easy for him, physically or emotionally.

Physically, Miller is playing through a ruptured tendon in his left thumb, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said at practice on Wednesday. This is exactly what he did to his right thumb in training camp and why he missed the first three months of the season. That he is playing at all is impressive, and this explains his at times up and down play. That said, he had a big Game 4 for the Heat and they need more of that.

His wife gave birth to a baby girl last Thursday in a South Florida hospital, but the newborn daughter has remained in the intensive care unit with an undisclosed health issue. Miller left with the team on Wednesday to travel to Chicago.

Our thoughts are with him and his family.

But it’s not going to get any easier, the role the Heat will ask Miller to play is only going to grow with each game.